Roller weather strip for doors



Dec. 2, 1930. A. OLSON ,7 3,305

ROLLER WEATHERSTRIP FOR DOORS Filed March 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l O I O O 3 f Z Inventor file! 0la'o1z/ J fittolzw Dec. 2, 1930. A. OLSON ROLLER WEATHERSTRIP FOR DooRs' Filed March 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VII fl ,6 t 9 I vy WW7? 3 z 9 m a Inventor me! 0150):)

Patented Dec. 2, 1930 PATENT OFFICE AXEL OLSON, or wEsr noxBUnY, MASSACHUSETTS ROLLER WEATHER STRIP FOE DOORS I 'Application filed March 18, 1929. Serial No. 347,978.

In the draught proofingof modern door structures and particularly in revolving and swinging doors in much usedentrances, there has developed the veryserious problem due to the wear of threshold or floor. This is particularlyobservable in public buildings where very obvious depressions are worn. These worn places are by the very presence of the door strongly localized just under the 0 normal position of the door whenclosed, and are particularly troublesome in the case of revolving doors where the doors come to rest at different positions at different times.

The problem isgenerallyan old one, but

highly ag ravated by modern conditions. Various attempts have been made in the past to solve the general problem, and infact, the art shows a considerable development in the roller type of weather strip which is a logical basis of treatment for such problems.

My present invention 1 contemplates a weather strip of. the old roller type and in fact combines several features individually old in the a'rt, but does so in "such a way as to produce a simple automatic roller weather strip capable of easy installation, in either swinging orrevolvi'ng doors and capable of meetingthe various types andconditions of V floor or sill wear even in their extreme1n stances. i

As lillustrative of my invention: I have.

shown in the accompanying drawing a roller strip of great simplicity and practical utility and have illustrated" this in both revolv ing door and swinging door installations. Throughout the specification and drawings like reference characters are employed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the draw ings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a lower part of a swinging door with the casing broken away and the floor sections. v

Fig. 2 is a partly sectioned fragment of the 5 lower part of a door equipped in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through such an installation in a swinging door with door sill. Fig. 4 is an end view of such a portion of a door and sill in section.

a Fig. 5 a bottom view of a portion of such a oor. I l i Fig. 6 a section of door and adjacent floor 1n a revolving doorinstallation, and

Fig. 7 s a further modification of the same.

Referring to Fig. 1 which illustratesthe lower part of a revolving door having-its casing lbroken away to expose the door, I have lndicated at 2 a portion of floor surface sectioned to illustrate depressions 2 such as are frequently worn within the enclosure 1 and in the general path of the swinging doors. The doors I have indicated generally as at 3, these revolving in the usual manner on a central axis.

i The problem oft-he depressions 2 isillustrated more clearly in the section inFig. 2 and in this figure I have shown partly in elevation and partly in section a portion of my roller weather strip. This is installed in a recess 3 usually cut as a channel in the bottom, edge of the door, the channel being preferably lined by a galvanizediron housing 'which is preferably turned outwardly toward the edge of thedoor as at 4 and secured conveniently thereto. The ends of the channels are closed by plates '5. On the inner face of the plate 5 andprojecting slightlywithin the channel is a. bearingG and anoil' hole 7 may-be provided throughthe plate 5 so that this hearing can be lubricated; V A.

Looselylmounted in this-bearing 6 are the ends of a'rod8 extending through the channel'and on the rod 8 are mounted a plurality of rollers 9. These rollers 9 are preferably of hard 'rubber orlike material having a V bore 9 considerably larger than the diameter of the'rod 8 so'that each roller is freefto move on the rod and-the rod in turn free to move in the bearing 6. The rod and rollersso mounted constitute a gravity strip each unit 9 being free to-r'otate at its own-speed so that there is no drag due to the distance from the point: of pivot; or swing of the door. Furthermore, eachrollerunit 9 is free to find its bearing on the floor or threshold so that individually on the rod 8 and as awhole with the rod 8 the rollers can accommodate themselves each to the surface of its own orbit or path.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated the section of a door 10 of the swinging type having a threshold 11. In this I have indicated the galvanized housing 4 which appears in section. The bearing 6 is also shown in section, and in Fig. 4 which is an edge elevation of such a swinging door the plate 5 is shown in elevation. V y r In Fig. 5 I have illustrat'edthe bottom edge of such a door and from this it can be seen how easily my roller weather strip may be installed and repairs or replacements-made if required. My rollers come preferably in inch length sections so that any stock door can be fitted, the rod 8 being simply cut off the rightlength and the rollers strung on to fill it.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a further modification of installation. In this a kick plate 12 is used on a door 13 and in this instance no channel is required as the door 13 and the plate 12 overlap to form the roller channel.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a still further modification in which I have provided a housing which consists of two side members 14 and a cross member 15. The side members 14 may be made of any length so as to constitute kick plates which can be overlapped on the door 13 cut back as shown in Fig. 6, the lower part constituting the roller channel as indicated.

These and various other modifications illustrate the principles of my invention. VVlnle the devices shown are illustrative, they do represent a very simple and very satisfactory solution of this old outstanding problem. My roller weather strip is not only inexpensive and simple, but is very quickly and easily installed and is entirely automatic and selfcompensating as it acts by gravity and provides for a free and independent rotating movement for the full width of the door.

I am advised that roller weather strips have been proposed and that it has been proposed to make such a roller in sections and to make such sections individually yieldable, but that such structures involved spring pressures and did not permit a free gravity play of the parts. It will be noted that in accordance with my invention not only does the whole roller assembly ride freely by gravity, but that each roller unit is free by gravity to fol low the irregularities of its own path by free movement relative to the rest. The importance of these combined motions is at once apparent because while the whole roller series is free to rise and fall as in meeting a common obstacle, each unit follows the lesser irregularities peculiar to its own path anddoes so at its own speed of rotation without drag or wear. These principles together with the structural improvement constitute the more important aspects of my invention.

In conclusion I might say that while the operation of my device will be apparent from the foregoing description taken with the drawings, there are certain features of its operation which are somewhat subtle and might be herein remarked to advantage. As will be apparent from the study of the worn depressions in any floor or threshold, it will be noted that these depressions are usually I elongated in the line of travel of entrance and exit. On the other hand, the path of travel of any given point on a swinging door and markedly so on a revolving door is in an arc-or ina circle. 7 there these circles cut the area of depression the roller has to make contact with what might be called a warped surface. By this I mean that the path is not one of direct ascent and descent or uphill and down, but is an inclined path.

My invention as will be seenmeetsthis by permitting the roller to have freedom not only to rise and fall with reference to the rod, but to permit it to accommodateitself slightly to meet the requirements of combined inclinations of its path. Furthermore as my rollers are gravity pressed, there is no particular compression on any part of the individual rollers and hence no lateral expansion which would cause binding and destroy the freedom of each roller to rotate independently of the rest.

Vhat I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In combination, a. door, having a bottom edge channel, bearings at the ends of said channel, a rod extending from end to end of said channel and mounted at its ends in said bearings, and a series of rollers mounted on said rod in end to end relation and having a collective length substantially. equal to the length of said channel, said rod being mounted in said bearings for free vertical movement to permit the series of rollers to move vertically independently of any vertical movement of the rollers relative to the rod, and each roller having a rod receiving bore of materially greater diameter than the rod to permit individual vertical movement of the rollers relative to the rod.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

AXEL OLSON. 

